


Starlight Sentiment

by SilverKitsune



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, Hoshimeguri AU, M/M, Marchen Dream AU, Prince and the Pauper AU, Selfcest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune/pseuds/SilverKitsune
Summary: Written for i7 Rarepair Week Day 7: AU/Crossover:Once upon a time, on the ancient star of Alba, two boys - one, the Crown Prince, and the other, a merchant's son - were born on the same day, with the same appearance. As fate would have it, they meet on the streets one day ...
Relationships: Carnelian/Cinderella (IDOLiSH7), Izumi Mitsuki/Izumi Mitsuki
Kudos: 6
Collections: IDOLiSH7 Rarepairs Week 2020





	Starlight Sentiment

**Author's Note:**

> So I was talking with Ven on Twitter about how Mitsuki was his own royal couple between Cinderella in Marchen Dream and Carnelian in Hoshimeguri and I was lamenting how I didn't have a way to make it work and that was when Ven said the fateful words, "How about the Prince and the Pauper"?
> 
> And so, an AU-Crossover Selfcest fic was born ... ^^;;

Once upon a time, on the ancient star of Alba, a prince was born. He was a small baby, with hair the color of imperial topaz and eyes that sparkled brighter than any orange sapphire. He was the answer to many a prayer the King and the Queen had sent to Alba's shard of the Star Sphere. Hoping the child would bring good fortune and luck to their Star of Eternal Night, the King named him Carnelian.

But as the prince grew, the King realized his hopes were not meant to be – the prince was a failure. He had no talent as a musician, his stamina for swordsmanship nonexistent, his sense for academics absent. Worst still, the King would loudly berate the prince every chance he got, and soon, the entirety of the court knew. No matter where the prince went, whispers of how he was a failure would follow. A whisper there, a hush there – how was this to be their Crown Prince? How could their shard of the Star Sphere curse them with prince who couldn't even smile or charm his people?

And so the prince wished, wished with all his might for a friend, or at the very least, to go away to a place where he didn't have to hear how useless he was day in and day out.

* * *

In another part of the star, on the same day, a boy was born. He, too, had hair the color of imperial topaz, and eyes the color of orange sapphire. His father had been a businessman, but with the birth of his child, he worked extra hard, supporting his new family.

But his happiness did not last for long, for his wife fell ill with a fever shortly after their son's fifth birthday and passed away. In his loneliness, his father threw himself into his work.

But his father's loneliness did not last long, for a few short years later, he would remarry. But his new step mother had other ideas, and wanted her own child to marry well, and saw to it that her new stepson became her house servant, and made him sleep in the kitchen among the cinders of their hearth.

“From this day forward,” she'd said as she showed him his new place in the kitchen, “your name shall be Cinderella.”

* * *

The first time they meet is a coincidence – Carnelian is nothing more than a young boy, bowing under the intense pressure of his father's expectations of him as Crown Prince. He's returning to the palace from seeing his father off at the harbor when Cinderella steps too close to the carriage as it passes by, and the guards aggressively accost him. The commotion catches Carnelian's attention, and against the concerns of both the palace guards and his personal attendant, Lazu, Carnelian insists on taking a detour to go grocery shopping with Cinderella at the local market.

Their uncanny resemblance to each other goes unmissed by both boys, even if Cinderella is in mud spattered clothes that are almost more patches than actual linen and Carnelian is dressed in a prince's finery, but to them it is just a funny coincidence, a starting place for a prince and merchant's son to get to know each other.

They chat as they go, Cinderella telling Carnelian about what he knows of the world, how to pick the best of the produce and meat on display as he flits about, and Carnelian is fascinated – this is the first time he's had someone try to relate to him as a person and not his status as Crown Prince. Cinderella, for his part, is happy to have someone who will listen and talk with him so earnestly and attentively, even if they're a little out of touch with normal day to day life. It's a nice escape – even if it's for a moment, Cinderella wonders if this is what life would have been like if his stepmother wasn't so intent on making sure her own child is the sole inheritor of his father's small business.

By the time they stop up the street near Cinderella's cottage, they're already making plans to meet again another day. As he gets out from the carriage, he tells Carnelian to wait, and returns with a crystal rabbit in his hands.

“They're a matching set, carved from the same crystal. It was a gift, from my father to my mother when he was courting her. He wasn't as successful of a merchant then as he is now, and he often traveled to other parts of Alba and wanted to remind her he was always with her,” Cinderella says, holding both in his hands. The rabbits shine in unison as he pulls them out from his basket.

“He wasn't the same after she died. He wanted to throw them away but I secreted them away into my things when I was a child,” Cinderella softly adds, but before Carnelian has a chance to brush away Cinderella's tears, he's wiping them away with the corner of his shabby cloak. “Ah, don't mind me, I'm- I don't even know why I'm telling you this.”

Cinderella shoves one into Carnelian's hands, and Carnelian takes a hold of the precious item, unsure of how to respond. “But this is-”

“You're my first friend, and I want you to have it!” Cinderella replies, cutting off Carnelian with a watery smile.

Carnelian could feel his cheeks heating up at the comment. “I-I guess you're mine too.”

* * *

And so they meet, day after day, week after week – at first it's just to talk, with Carnelian accompanying Cinderella as he shops. But then one day, after a particularly cruel comment by one of the court ladies, Cinderella suggests they exchange clothes – he's a fast learner, he tells Carnelian, and if Carnelian will do his shopping for him, he'll take Carnelian's place in the palace for a few brief hours. They have the crystal rabbits, and they'll serve well enough as a signal for when to switch places again.

But for all they resembled each other, Cinderella is a skinny underfed boy, and Carnelian is a Crown Prince with all the securities and luxuries it comes with, and it's not long before King notices the difference – and when he discovers the truth, he sentences Cinderella and his family to death. As far as the King's concerned, his son is not only useless, but gullible, and Cinderella and his family are out to replace Carnelian with Cinderella for nefarious purposes.

Carnelian's protests go unheard as the King sends his men to execute Cinderella and his family, and burn the house to the ground to make sure no one escaped.

“Lazu? What are you doing here?” Cinderella asked as Lazu, cloaked in all black appeared at the back door of his home.

“The King has caught onto you and My Lord switching places and he means to have you executed. Come with me if you want to live. There's no time.”

Cinderella nodded, and ran back to his meager basket of belongings to grab a pouch and place a single item inside – the crystal rabbit. Lazu hands Cinderella a spare black cloak he brought with him, and together they run through the back alleys of the capitol, avoiding the guards as they make a run for the harbor.

“Find a ship going off-world here, and get on it and leave,” Lazu instructed.

“Why are you helping me?”

“My only wish is to see My Lord happy. When he's with you, he's different. He smiles more,” Lazu replies. “You can't be what the King says you are if you can make him happy. I have to go. They'll miss me in the palace if I don't return soon.”

“Thank you, Lazu,” Cinderella whispers as he runs into the harbor, looking for the first ship headed off-world.

And as luck would have it, the ship he finds is a Bestian trading vessel headed for Lama.

Its name was _Burst Roar_.

* * *

“Captain, we have a stowaway on board,” a navy blue haired Bestian in a red overcoat said.

Cinderella looked down at the floor – if he had known Bestian's enhanced abilities extended to their sense of smell, he would have picked an alternate ship to board. But as it is, he hadn't been discovered until the ship took off and cleared Alba's atmosphere.

“Oh? Let me see,” the Captain replied. He pulled off the hood from Cinderella's cloak, and raised an eyebrow.

“Please don't throw me out the airlock, Captain. If-if you want payment, I-I can work and then get off at your next stop. I'm a good cook I swear! I won't ask for much, and I'll even sleep in the kitchens,” Cinderella offered. Hands shaking, he reached into his pack, and pulled out the crystal rabbit. “Or i-if not, I-I have this too.”

The Captain made an appreciative noise as he examined it. And then laughed. “Well Coda? Weren't you saying we needed a new cook after the last one was caught embezzling from company funds?”

“But Captain!”

“He says he's willing to work, and we have an opening for someone of his skill set. Let's call it a trial run until we get to our next stop!” Turning back to Cinderella, he continued as he held out his hand. “Keep your crystal rabbit. I can tell it's something important to you. My name's Fang. Welcome to Burst Roar.”

Cinderella took Fang's hand. “I'm Cinderella.”

Coda just sighed as though this were commonplace. “Well since you already know the way to the galley, let's get you settled in.”

By the time they reached Lama, it didn't matter to the crew Cinderella had stowed away on their ship – he was the best ship's cook they'd had in ages.

* * *

“You know,” Fang comments one night as he enters the galley, setting down a few packages on a table, “You look remarkably similar to Prince Carnelian. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were twins.”

For a moment, Cinderella panicked – had the King finally found him after all? - but then Fang waved him over to the table.

“Relax. I haven't said anything to the King of Alba. These are for you.”

Cinderella opens the biggest one, and inside is a new set of clothes – a dark blue hooded cloak, with a long sleeved baby blue tunic and a pair of fitted navy blue pants. The one underneath contained a pair of white knee high boots decorated with small deep blue crystals. The clothes are sturdy and functional, but most importantly, can help ensure he has some semblance of a disguise. A small jewelry box contained a white choker, with a blue crystal set in the center. “Captain?”

“I can't help but notice you kept asking Coda about every star we've stopped at, so I asked Coda to commission a new uniform for you as our newest crew member. And that necklace is a voice changer.”

“I-” For a moment, Cinderella's vision blurred – when was the last time he'd gotten a new set of clothes that weren't hand me downs, let alone someone who cared enough to help him disguise himself? - before swallowing, “Thank you.”

“Don't worry about payment. Your food feeds my crew and lifts their spirits after a long day's work. The least I can do is make sure you've got a proper uniform to go with it.”

Seeing the stars, Cinderella discovers, is much better than just hearing about them, and before long, his book shelves are filled with cook books from every star they've visited – except for one shelf. That was a shelf dedicated to his journals, each a collection of his travels, of the food he's tasted along the way, and the recipes he's learned and figured out that weren't part of any cook book and everything he's seen since he's left Alba.

And each and every entry begins the exact same way, with _Dear Carnelian._

* * *

But the peace does not to last for long – Alba begins a war with Eterno, and whilst it was short, it was incredibly brutal, and by the end, Alba's King dies in battle, leaving Carnelian to ascend the throne as he arranges a peace treaty with what remained of Eterno's government. A new king also meant new contract negotiations, and for the first time in years, _Burst Roar_ revisit Alba.

“Tell me, Lord Fang,” Carnelian begins as he pulls out the crystal rabbit. Their negotiations have long since completed, and they're sharing a drink to celebrate the success of a new round of trade agreements between Alba and Bestia. “What do you know of these?”

“Oh, a crystal rabbit,” Fang replies, examining it. “I've heard of them before. They shine when they're put under starlight.”

“This is one of a set of two, a memento, if you will, from a dear friend. The match has been long lost, but … would you know where I might acquire a few more?”

Fang studies the rabbit with the trained eye of a lifelong trader, and a _something_ sparkles in his eyes when he replies, something Carnelian thinks is close to mirth.

“I do. In fact, accompany me to the harbor tonight when I leave, and bring your crystal rabbit with you. I have a friend I think you'll be very interested in meeting.”

* * *

When they finally leave the palace to head to the harbor, the streets are empty – it's late, long past the evening bell toll. Carnelian's not even sure why Fang insisted they go tonight, when Fang's acquaintance is sure to be asleep. The crew salutes them as they pass, and then Fang is opening the door to the ship's observation deck.

There's a figure standing there looking through the window and up at the night sky, their waist length orange topaz hair highlighted by the starlight. From behind, Carnelian can make out a slim waist and a long Bestian style overcoat. The figure reaches into a pouch at their belt, and Carnelian is suddenly all too aware of crystal rabbit in the pouch at his side shining in unison.

“I wonder,” the figure says, as the rabbit sparkles in the starlight, “I wonder if he'll see this.”

Carnelian's footsteps break the silence - there's only one person in the entire universe who could possibly have the match to one he owns - and the figure whirls around –

… and Carnelian forgets to breathe as finds himself looking at his own face.

“Ci-Cinderella?”

“Carnelian?” It's a voice Carnelian thought he'd never hear again, let alone someone he'd _see_. When they were kids, Cinderella had always been skinny, but the years since their last meeting have been far kinder to him. There's a boyish handsomeness in his face, but seeing the tears he's trying to hide is enough to get Carnelian to keep moving.

In a few steps, they meet each other in the middle – Carnelian's sure he's hugging Cinderella far too tightly, but it doesn't matter with how tightly Cinderella's holding onto him between his sobs. He's vaguely aware he's crying too, but it doesn't matter, because now that he's got the one thing he's ever needed in his life again.

And in the rush of the moment, their eyes meet, and their lips meet – it's wet from both of their tears, but it hardly matters. Just the fact they're both able to meet each other again is a miracle in and of itself.

“I never thought I'd see you again. When my father sent his men, I-”

“Lazu. He came and got me out just before they arrived. And then Captain Fang took me in after I snuck on board.”

Carnelian turns to look over to Fang by the door, and Fang only smiles at him in return.

“Thank you, Lord Fang. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I owe you”

“I'll leave you two to talk. Cinderella, take the rest of the night off. I'll get one of the other crew members to cover your duties.”

“But Captain-”

“It's not everyday you get reunited with your, how did you used to put it? Ah yes, your dearest childhood friend,” Fang replies with a smug grin on his face. “Plus it looks like you two have a few things to work out anyway.”

And as Fang retreats down the hallway, Carnelian turns to Cinderella.

“Welcome home, Cinderella.”

“I'm home, Carnelian.”

**Author's Note:**

> "dear friend" - yes that was deliberate.
> 
> The title for this was inspired by the title of Trignal's Hoshizora Sentiment - Trignal is a seiyuu singing unit consisting of Kimura Ryouhei, Eguchi Takuya (Nagi), and Yonaga Tsubasa (Mitsuki).


End file.
